Real Questions for a Real Conversation:

I understand that the rhetoric of Trump, Sarah Palin, Joe Walsh, etc only fans the flames of intolerance and racism at this crucial point in our American experience. I also recognize that there are deep problems with some members of the police force and we need to work together to eradicate those policemen and their ideologies. I worry, however, that the #blacklivesmatter movement contains people who are just as intolerant, racist and who perpetuate ideologies that too need to be eradicated. By this I am not suggesting that ALL the members of the movement are misguided just like I am not willing to concede that ALL policemen have a systematic hatred of minorities. We are all flawed human beings (myself included) and we need to come together in empathy AND truth to solve these problems.

To the questions:

1. What about the Eric Garner case is not being investigated correctly or thoroughly? What does justice look like for his family?
2. What would you do differently to prosecute the police officers involved in the Freddie Gray case? Is Judge Barry Williams part of a systematic institution bent on keeping good, black men down? Why can’t the prosecution seem to prove their case of police violence?
3. What should happen in the case of Alton Sterling? Should we hog tie the cops involved and execute them in the backroom? Are the police officers entitled to the protection of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th amendments even if the person they killed was not necessarily given those same rights?
4. What should happen in the case of Philandro Castile? Should we execute them in front of their families? Are the police officers entitled to the protection of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th amendments even if the person they killed was not necessarily given those same rights?
5. Was the verdict decided against the police officers fair in the Alex Landau case even if not all of the officers were equally punished? Was his nearly $800,000 settlement from the city of Denver sufficient recompense for his pain and suffering? Why did you show a video of his story and not explain the rest of what happened?
6. What should have happened in the apartment of Eulia Love while she was wielding a knife in front of police officers? Why not share the point of view of the officers involved in the shooting? Is their point of view invalid as compared to Love’s?
7. Did the forced resignation of Daryl Gates in 1992 help to solve the rampant problems in the LAPD after the Rodney King riots? Why did you cite this example in the present tense if it is over 20 years old?
8. Is it fair to say that the statistics and percentages you cite as being unfairly prejudicial towards people of color are a reasonably accurate reflection of the people committing the crimes in our cities, or do you have more evidence (besides The Wire which is fictionalize drama and the OJ documentary which, though compelling, doesn’t fully address the nuanced issues throughout) that there really is a “systemic problem?”
9. Are there other reasons (more than profiling, police brutality, racism, and systematic problems) that might contribute more accurately to the incarceration and crime rate in the African American community?
10. Has the first amendment and the right to peacefully assemble ever been called into question by those on all sides of this issue or does the black community have a right to demand equal treatment in America by our police, by our legal system and by our penal system by looting, rioting and calling for violence in the name of #blacklivesmatter?
11. What are the people in the middle to do if we cannot support the remarks of Palin, Trump, Walsh and others, but who also cannot support the rioting and violent protests in the name of black lives matter?

If we are truly seeking to solve this problem, the answers will not be found in violent protests or propaganda, but in talking things out. It seems at this crucial point that our leaders are failing us and it is up to us as individuals to keep the framework alive that protects all voices and beliefs. As has been cited earlier, I think the answers lie somewhere in the middle of the various belief systems of #blacklivesmatter and #alllivesmatter. If we keep the channels of communication open and are honest and empathetic with one another, we will make it through these troubled times.

We may have a flawed justice system, but it is the greatest system in the world. Though there may be isolated incidents of violence and brutality, we by and large hold true to the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th amendments of the Constitution which declare a person innocent until proven otherwise in a fair and uncruel manner. I encourage both sides to not give into the propaganda and rhetoric spouted on either side. I encourage us all to ask the tough questions of one another and to seek real answers.